BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday said, “The Belt and Road Initiative (倡议) 【小题1】 (be) ‘a project of the century’ that will benefit people across the world.”

Xi made the remarks when 【小题2】 (deliver) a speech at the opening ceremony of the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Named after the historic Silk Road, the Belt and Road Initiative 【小题3】 (propose) by Xi in 2013 to chart out new fields for international cooperation.

“Going through thousands of miles and years, the 【小题4】 (anciently) silk routes embody (体现) the spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness (包容), mutual learning 【小题5】mutual benefit.” Xi told an audience of more than 1,500 from across the globe. “The Silk Road spirit 【小题6】 (become) a great heritage (遗产) of human civilization so far.” he said.

A total of 29 foreign 【小题7】 (head) of state and government leaders attended the forum, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. Other delegates (代表) include officials, entrepreneurs, financiers and journalists 【小题8】 over 130 countries and representatives of key international organizations. The United States sent a delegation 【小题9】 (lead) by Matt Pottinger.

By all means, the forum, 【小题10】 also features a round-table summit of global leaders on Monday, is one of the premium gatherings in today’s world.

What is culture? Culture is the shared characteristics and knowledge of a group of people, 【小题1】 (include) their language, religion, food, social habits. music and arts. The word “culture” has 【小题2】 (it) root from the Latin “culture”, which is related to the meaning of “growth”.

A number of historical events 【小题3】 (help) shape Western culture in the past 2,500 years. The fall of Rome cleared the way for the establishment of a series of states in Europe. The Black Death of the 1300 cut the population of Europe by one-third, 【小题4】 remade the society. Gradually, Christianity became the 【小题5】 (strong) of all religions in Europe. Then the trade between East and West allowed Europeans to explore North and South America.

Eastern culture generally refers to the traditions in Asian 【小题6】 (country). Like the West, Eastern culture was heavily influenced by religion during its early development, but later it 【小题7】 (influence) by the agricultural development significantly.

【小题8】 culture differs from area to area, one thing is for certain: Cultures change. “Culture plays 【小题9】 important role in our interconnected world,” De Rossi said. “But it is no longer fixed. Culture is 【小题10】 (constant) moving and essentially fluid.”

A 50-minute drive northwest of downtown, Beijing, a village pops up. It【小题1】(house) a shadow puppetry troupe (皮影戏剧团) and Beijing Long zaitian Shadow Puppet Theater.

Shadow puppetry is seen【小题2】the prequel (先行篇) to film and animation in China. Besides performances【小题3】 (create) by light and shadow, performers must master a【小题4】(vary) skill set as the plays combine painting, carving, opera and literature. But due to low revenue and a small market, young people are unwilling 【小题5】(learn) shadow puppetry.

【小题6】, this particular troupe stands out from the crowd. Average performer age is only 25. Moreover, of the 300 performers【小题7】has trained over the years, many are under 1.4 m in【小题8】(high). In 2021, the team created Winter Olympics-themed shadow pupets. The troupe also staged different plays【小题9】(introduce) ice and snow sports through fairy tales.

“【小题10】(fortunate), we have these people. They have been devoted to the inheritance of shadow puppetry for over a decade,”said Wang Xi, inheritor of Beijing Western School Shadow Puppetry.